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I ran a little over $2000 last year for me and my dog. Count him as 1/5. I realize how easy it is to spend more though. Higher quality steaks, seafood, cheese, out of season produce, imports, even buying what you want when you want it rather than when it is on sale can add up significantly. About the only way I could double it though would be to ignore the price. That would be hard even if I didn't see them since I have a good grasp of what they are.

Can you explain? We have a CVS close by our home, but I have only been inside of the store 2-3 times in the last few years. What am I missing?

They have frequent shopper program that gets you 2% (i think) back in merchandise coupons. works ok. Also give's discounts for next time you purchase certain items you just bought. I don't like the store, prefer Walgreen's but partly because they don't have much competition around here.

I subscribe to Coupons, Grocery Coupons - The Grocery Game :: Home. It's a pay site that tracks the sales in supermarkets and places like CVS plus they track coupons from the Sunday newspaper inserts. So each week they identify the best combinations of sale price and coupon and it makes it easy to just check their list and see what the great deals are this week.

I don't do it hard core like some of the people on that site but I definitely save money. I pay $1.25 a week for the web site and $1 for a Sunday paper. So I have to get back $2.25 in savings just to break even on the deal. But that is no sweat. I saved $12 just stocking up on toilet paper last week. Won't need to buy TP again for probably 9 months. Bound to be another great sale between now and then so I will just re-stock when it comes along. Rinse and repeat for all things that you can safely keep in the closet or freezer for a few months.

Most of the free stuff seems to be at the drug stores in combination with their rewards programs (CVSBucks or whatever it is). I don't do those. Somebody near me must also be doing it because the CVS deals are usually out of stock by the time I get to them. So I just stick to my favorite grocery store.

To the OP.... I don't think it can be done easily now as the stores around here have put limits on to stop it...

To redduck... I was with another sister who does not make much money and NEEDS the coupons... she had then all in this hand held accordian folder... buy type of food etc... she had not bought cereal without a coupon for many years (but I have not asked her lately since they are making more money now)... when she got the product in the cart, the coupon moved from the holding slot to the bought slot... man, she had a system going and it worked for her..

To Texas Proud (and others)

I've seen people use the accordian-type folder to organize their coupons. Ah, I don't know, it just seems that I'm not yet old enough to be using equipment to help me shop. Guess it's a pride thing. When I was a kid, it would embarrass me that my mother would use coupons. Got over that. So, my next big adult break-through might be the accordian thing.

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